Clothes-wringer



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. WHEELER, Jr.

CLOTHES WRINGER;

No. 599,431. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. WHEELER, Jr CLOTHES WRINGER No, 599,431. Patented Feb. 22,1898.

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/// A all PATENT rrrcE.

OYRENUS l/VHEELER, JR, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

CLOTH ES-WRING ER.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,431, dated February 22, 1898.

Application filed July 18,1896. Serial No. 599,686. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRENUS WHEELER, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Olothes-WVringers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that type of clothes-wringers known as U- spring wringers, machines in which the j ournals of the rolls are supported by such springs anlcll the necessary pressure imparted to the ro s.

In the U-spring type of friction-wringers the pressure of the springs upon the rollershafts is constant and strong whether the machine is in use or idle. When in use, the severe strain on the rolls tends to loosen the elastic covering from the shafts and when idle the pressure permanently flattens it. The degree of separation of the upper from the lower roll when in use is determined by the thickness of the fabric operated upon, which varies greatly in the same piece or garment.

When in use, one end of the rolls may be widely separated and the other end in or nearly in contact, or both ends may be widely separated at the same time. The successful use of gear-wheels in the U-spring type of machine has been very difficult, especially if the gear-wheels were on the ends of the rollershafts and meshed directly together, as there was a liability of the gears to be thrown out of mesh. With the gears at both ends of the rolls out of mesh at the same time the machine becomes a poor type of friction-wringer, and when one end of the rolls remains in mesh there will be danger of the roller-shafts at that end being thrown out of their bearings in the springs. When thin fabrics are passing between the rolls, the strong pressure of the springs will hold the gears too closely in mesh and cause the machine to run hard. Heavier springs than are in use in this type of machine are desirable.

The object of the invention is to better adapt this type of machine to the use of gearwheels and heavier springs by limiting the pressure of the springs,so that the gear-wheels will not be forced so deeply in mesh as to cause the machine to operate hard or injure the covering of the rolls when idle; and, further, to limit the separation of the rolls, so that the gear-wheels will not be thrown out of mesh or their shafts out of their hearings in the springs or the springs severely strained; and, further, to provide for the wear of the journals of the roller-shafts and their bearings in the springs by making the limiting devices adjustable; and, further, to guard against the displacement of the limiting devices by connecting the tops of the guide.- plates, which carry such devices, together by a cross-bar, which will serve also as a handpiece to steady the machine. I attain these objects by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the machine, be ing the view the operator will have when using the machine. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the left-hand end of the machine, on the line m m, Fig. 1, outside of the U-springs. Fig. 3 is a detached view of one of the guideplates for the left-hand end of the machine; and Fig. 4. is a vertical sectional view of the right-hand end of the machine, on the line a z, looking at it from the left-hand end of the machine, the guide-plate being broken away, its outline being shown in dotted lines, so as to show the springand gear-wheels,with the rolls separated. Fig. 5 is a view of one of the guide-plates with the stop f removed to show more clearly the stud g and the lug M. Fig. 6 is a similar view with the stop f and screw it in place. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 6 on the line 'y y.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A represents the lower and B the upper roll. The shaft 0 of the lower roll has its journal-bearings in the front end of the lower branches of the U-springs D, and the journal of the shaft E of the upper roll has its bearings in the upper branches of the same springs, which are bent into the required shape to receive the journal. The U-springs D are united to the ends of the cross-bar F, which is placed under the lower branches of said springs and is fastened firmly to them by the screw-threaded studs G and nuts 11 of the tub-clamps 1, holes being formed in the springs and cross-bar for that purpose. The tub -clamps have in one of their branches thumb-screws J to grip them to the tub. (See Figs. 2 and 4, where the cross-bar is shown in section.) The crank P is connected tothe right-hand end of the lower shaft, as shown in Fig. 1.

With the addition of the ordinary guideplates to the shafts at each end of the rolls the machine sofar described would fairly represent the U -sprin g type of friction-wringers as usually constructed and in public use.

The gear-Wheels shown in the drawings and making a part of the complete organization will be described farther on.

The construction of the guide-plates and their application to the other devices of the machine will now be described. They are indicated in the drawings by K and have the. usual flanges or ribs L on their front edges, which project inwardly in front of the rolls and serve to keep the clothing within the ends-of the rolls. They have openings at and I) through them, through which the rollershafts pass, and holes 0 in their upper ends to receive the cross-piece d. This cross-piece may be of wood or metal. It serves to hold the guide-plates at right angles to the rollershaftsand parallel to each other and as a handle for the operator to steady the machine and tub to which it is connected instead of being obliged to use the edge of the tub for that purpose. Each guide-plate has an outwardly-projecting lug M, which projects over and rests upon the lower branch of the U- springs a short distance back of the journals of the lower-roller shaft. Above this is another lug N, projecting outwardly and under the upper branch of the U-springs, and is provided'with a set-screw O, the upper end of which serves as a rest or stop for the upper branches of the U-springs to limit the pressure of the springs upon the journals of the upper roll, the bearing-point of the springs being a short distance back of the rollershaft. For satisfactory work the pressure applied by the springs to rollers ten inches in length and one and three-fourth inches in diameter should not be less than seven hundred pounds, and for longer and larger rolls the pressure should be correspondingly increased. As the pressure from U-springs is constant the gear-wheels will be held so deeply in mesh as to cause the machine to run hard, and flattening and injury to the rolls will result if no provision is made to prevent it. By

means of the set-screws the adjustment of the pressure can be readily made. To limit the separation of the rolls and better adapt the machine to a cog-wheel system of gearing,

' the following devices are applied: The guideplates K at theirlower ends have lugs S, which project back under the cross-bar F and serve to hold the guide-plates in a fixed relation to the springs and rolls. On the outside face of the guide-plates K, above the upper branches of the springs D, stops f are attached by a short projecting stud g and held in place by screw 77,-. The stops f have recessed heads g, that fit the studs g. The lower end of the stop is made eccentric to the stud g, on which it is free to turn when the screw h is loosened.

This device can be set to limit the separation of the rolls to the required extent to prevent the gear-wheels from being thrown out of mesh and the springs being strained.

The gear-wheels Q and R are connected to the roller-shafts in pairs outside of the springs D, the gear-wheels Q being attached to the lower shaft 0 and the gear-wheels R to the upper shaft E of the upper roll. These gearwheels mesh directly together, the gears of the lower roll controlling the rotation of the upper roll by means of its connecting-gears.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the rolls in contact, and Fig. 4 shows the gear-wheels as they appear when the rolls are separated. These gearwheels have Webs e on their outer faces to strengthen their teeth or cogs. The openings at b in the guide-plates K are elongated vertically and are made slightly wider than the shafts G E. Bymeans of the stops f the separation of the rolls can be so limited as to hold the gear-wheels in working contact and permit the upper roll to rise and fall within the working limit of the cogs. If the journals or their bearings become worn by use and they fail to mesh properly, the stops f and O afford a ready means for the proper adjustment of the gear-wheels.

I am aware that in a different type of ma chine a metal strap or regulator has been used on roller-shafts to hold the gears in mesh, and 1 have in U-spring machines, in connection with stops to limit the pressure between the rolls and gears, so arranged the guideplates in connection with the roller-shafts as to limit the separation of the rolls to the working capacity of the gears, but found that so thin pieces of metal afiorded so small abearing-surface on the shafts that the wear was objectionable and some means of adjustment was necessary.

Having described my improvements in olothes-wringers, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the rolls of a clotheswringer, which are provided with gear-wheels, that mesh together, and U-springs,which are united to a cross-bar, back of said rolls, and have bearing'places for the rollershafts; the guide-plates, provided with outwardlyprojecting lugs, that rest upon the lower branches of said springs, and outwardly-projecting lugs provided with adjustable stops, to limit the pressure of the upper branches of said springs upon the roller-shafts, substantially as, and for the purposes stated.

2. In combination with the rolls of a clotheswringer,which are provided with gear-wheels that mesh together, and U-springs,which are united to a cross-bar, back of said rolls, and have bearing-places for the roller-shafts; the guide-plates provided with lugs that project back under the cross-bar, and adjustablestops, over the springs, to limit the separation of the rolls, and prevent the gears from being thrown out of mesh, substantially as, and for the purposes stated.

3. In combination with the rolls of a e1otheswringer, which is provided with U-springs, which are united to a cross-bar, back of the rollers,and gear-wheels for revolving the rolls in unison, the guide plates, provided With outwardly-projecting lugs, that rest upon the lower branches of said springs, and outwardly-projecting lugs provided with adjustable stops, to limit the pressure of the upper branch of said springs, the backWardly-projecting lugs, projecting under the cross-bar, and the adjustable stops to limit the separation of the rolls, substantially as, and for the purposes stated.

CYRENUS WHEELER, Jr, Witnesses:

J. LEWIs GRANT, WM. ANDERSON. 

